Many Thanks to Attorneys Title Agency for their generous support - Pictured Terry Raven of Attorneys Title with Cristy Allen MSH Director

July 2012 - Thanks Grand Traverse Ophthalmology Clinic

Thank you, Grand Traverse Ophthalmology Clinic for your support! GTOC raised $5,175 at their recent trunk show to split between three local non-profit organizations - Thank You for making us one of them - we appreciate your support!

June 30, 2012 A Big Thank you to some wonderful people who raised funds for My Sister's House at this Benefit Runway Presentation

Wow - My Sister's House was the beneficiary of this wonderful Runway Presentation - Thank you Laurie and Maya for blessing My Sister's House.
"Martinis & Morsels provided by Federico's Design Jewelers" - so a big thank you to Federico's Design Jewelers too - you guys are the best!

June/July 2012 My Sister's House in Families First Monthly

My SIster's HouseA Stepping Stone to Success

By Susan GibbonsAccording to John Boonstra, Street Outreach, Third Level, there are at least 600 homeless youth in the five-county area each year. Some couch surf, some camp out, but all are in need of a helping hand. Cristy Allen, Executive Director, My Sister's House, extends one helping hand to young women ages 18 to 21 years.

May 10, 2012 - Open House

What a wonderful night.....meeting and spending time with new friends. We send a heartfelt thank you to the ladies who collected household supplies and came from the peninsula to deliver them and see the house, we added a new Board Member, Angel, met some incredible volunteers [Yes, Amanda and Susan this would be you], we loved showing the house to everyone who came and letting people see the amazing sectional couch that a family generously donated...Yup, it was a BIG wonderful night with much for us to be thankful!

Much is happening and we are all so excited to see all that is coming together. Each and everyone of you is appreciated and needed for My Sister's House to be a success.

April 23, 2012 - My Sister's House in the Record-Eagle

TRAVERSE CITY — Half a lifetime ago, Cristy Allen hit bottom. Now in her early 30s, Allen is a long way from couch-surfing and trying to navigate turbulent teen years. The married mom of four, including three teenagers, has a heart for helping other young women in crisis or transition. She knows firsthand what they are going through and is determined to help.

Allen formed My Sister's House to provide a safe haven for young women who are either at high risk of homelessness or who just turned 18 and have aged out of foster care. The new nonprofit's service area is Grand Traverse and Wexford counties.

"I've been in the shoes of these young women and I have gone on to a healthy, productive and happy life and have been so blessed," said Allen. "Really, just one person can make such a difference to young women in these situations."

Leasing a home in Kingsley, My Sister's House will hold a community open house in May. Allen hopes by early summer to welcome six women ages 18-19 to the transitional living facility. Or, as she thinks of it, to a stable, family-like home that will help residents break the cycle of their unstable upbringing. Allen is determined to provide residents with tools for healthy independence.

"About half of foster children don't graduate from high school," said Allen of a population prone to poverty and addiction, among other challenges. "There's educational needs, life skills needs — oftentimes when you're bounced around from home to home there's no one to teach you budgeting, how to make a healthy meal, how to get by on small means."

While the idea of My Sister's House has percolated for years, Allen has spent the past year making it a reality — from organizing and raising money to community outreach and education. "There is a gap and a need and I felt real conviction from God to do this," said Allen. "It is a giant leap of faith because doors continue to open and people continue to support it "¦ we're on the cusp now."

A Cut-A-Thon held Sunday afternoon at Traverse City Central High School provided another fundraising opportunity plus the chance to spread the word. The first of what Allen hopes becomes an annual tradition featured cuts by stylists from member salons that comprise Global Hair and Fashion: Impres, Epiphany, Salon Verve and Signature. "What's special about this is that this is a dream plan from years ago," said Sandra Dunn, founder of Global Hair and Fashion and proprietor of Impres Salon. "Cristy worked for us years ago and she was looking to raise money and we'd been wanting to do a cut-a-thon forever so this was just synergy."

Services included cuts, manicures and chair massages as well as face painting, princess up-dos and a bounce house for children. A silent auction with a broad array of donated items also helped boost My Sister's House.Sharing some fun together brought Big Sisters/Big Brothers volunteer Lynette Atkins to the Cut-A-Thon with her little sister, who enjoyed receiving a princess "up-do" and tiara. "It was just really a lot of fun and for a good cause," Atkins said.

Nine senior students from the Traverse City Beauty College also participated in the Cut-A-Thon. Julie Merriner, campus director for the school, is determined that her students contribute their talent and training to help others. "I like to bring them to these events because they can see a bunch of different career paths you can go on, not just be behind a chair," she said, noting that some participating stylists, as well as event organizer Cristy Allen, are former students. "And this is a great opportunity for them to network with salons before they graduate."

For more information on My Sister's House, including the scheduled May open house, see www.mysistershouseonline.org.

Saturday, March 31, 2012 Stuff a Subaru - replayed without the snowy weather!

Due to the weather conditions during the last supply drive - Cherry Capital Subaru is blessing us with another drive!

March 31st 10 am - 3 pmWe would love anything off our "Wish List" or any kind of gift cards would also be great.

You can help make sure teen girls have somewhere safe to stay by stuffing a Subaru this Saturday, March 3.

Cherry Capital Cadillac Subaru in Traverse City is holding a benefit for My Sister's House.

The new non-profit organization aims to help girls who have aged out of the foster care system.

They're just getting started, and need household supplies so the dealership is hoping to stuff a car with useful items.

They're taking donations Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cherry Capital wrote: "Our donation drive for My Sister's House was a huge success! Thank you to those who brought supplies in to stuff the Subaru Tribeca full!! Pictured is Cristy Allen the Executive Director of My Sister's House. This new local non-profit serves young women who are homeless or who have aged out of the foster care system and assists them to achieve educational, employment and life skills goals. To make a monetary contribution, please visit mysistershouseonline.org.

"Thank you SO MUCH" to the wonderful staff at Cherry Capital Cadillac Subaru, and their customers for stuffing a Subaru with generous donations! You ROCK!

Month of February 2012

Thank you Tonya for supporting My Sister's House with this great idea and for all of your amazing customers who had a glycolic peel to benefit the house!

You are a beautiful bunch!

January 2012 My Sister's House in Grand Traverse Women's Magazine

It’s 9 am and I’m 6 ft. up a ladder perfecting my very limited painting skills. The color is “falling leaves”, but ‘pumpkin bisque’ might be more fitting. Painting, I’ve found is a great activity for reflection and prayer-especially if you’re a chronic multi-tasker like me. Today I’m feeling a huge sense of awe at all that has transpired in the last several months. “Falling Leaves” will grace the dining room of My Sister’s House, which is a new local transition home for young women who are homeless or ‘aged-out’ of the foster care system, but also feels like a physical extension of my innermost self-my heart, my soul poured out into not only an idea, but now a physical place on the cusp of beginning. From my perch on the ladder I can envision young women at a table in this room laughing, crying, learning, and healing.

These last months have been busy; researching, writing programming, wrangling red tape and paperwork, fundraising, gathering a board, a staff, and a house! It is both exhilarating and frightening stepping out in faith to make this dream a reality. It has been and continues to be so encouraging watching doors and hearts open within this community to partner with MSH and embrace young women who truly need our help.

I was off and running with the idea for a house last spring, but my journey to this place began as a troubled young women myself . As a teen I was filled with self-loathing and hopelessness, and spent time as a runaway. The years since then have been ones of self-discovery and healing, finding hope and love in faith as well as passion and purpose.

It seems that all of my life’s experiences, from difficulty as a teen, to working with at risk- teens and all the places in between have culminated into a vision for this house of healing. Perhaps that is how all people feel when they finally discover their purpose? Birthed out of faith and passion for at-risk young people, my desire and that of MSH is not only to meet physical needs of impoverished young women, but to help them to realize their infinite potential and worth as well as teaching them skills to be productive and healthy in independence.

My Sister’s House is not the end of my story, but will be the beginning of many stories. Today I have a fantastic, supportive husband and children, as well as encouraging friends and support network. My cup overflows with love and blessings and love is something that needs to be shared. I cannot wait for the first young women who will come to My Sister’s House, but until then I will continue to prepare, and for today that’s a second coat of “falling leaves”.

January 2012 My Sister's House in the Kingsley Connection

My Sister’s House is a new local non-profit transitional home for teenage girls who homeless, at high risk of being homeless or who have “aged out” of the foster care system. MSH is located just outside of Kingsley and will serve young women from both Grand Traverse and Wexford counties. In addition to providing a safe family-like home and daily necessities, My Sister’s House will empower young women through reality-based learning, designed to promote emotional, mental and social well-being. While at the house young women will work on education, employment and interpersonal goals, as well as life skills training. MSH will be a home for transformation as well as transition and will help young women move on to healthy, productive inde- pendence. My Sister’s house is seeking monetary support, donated items and volunteers. Please check out the MSH website www.mysistershouseonline.org for more information and ways to get involved.

12/6/11 My Sister's House in the TC Ticker.

At age 15, Cristy Allen of Traverse City was a runaway – “couch surfing and living in a tent,” she says. What lead her to that low point? “Feeling hopeless and worthless,” she says.

Now 32, Allen not only has turned her life around, she’s using her past experience to help turn around the lives of teen girls in the same situation today.

She’s launching My Sister’s House, a non-profit home in Kingsley that aims to provide a stable, family-like home for older teenage girls who are homeless, at high risk of becoming homeless, or who have aged out of the foster care system in Grand Traverse and Wexford counties.

“I have passion and drive to help young women realize their infinite potential and worth, and find love and hope,” says Allen, who’s working with a diverse board and staff with expertise in social work, counseling, finance and leadership.

According to Third Level Crisis Center in Traverse City, there are 450-plus homeless youth adrift in the region. Allen says My Sister’s House, which is in the fundraising stage, will take referrals from and collaborate with Third Level and other area organizations, shelters, foster agencies and schools within Grand Traverse and Wexford counties.

Initially, she will take in six women, ages 18 to 19. Eventually, she’ll house up to 12 women, each of whom will be able to stay up to 18 months.

“The length of stay will depend on the skill set of each young woman and the individual goals she will set and achieve before leaving the house,” says Allen.

Allen herself will work with the girls on obtaining health care and general independence. Also on staff will be a house mom to provide guidance and counseling, and a life skills coach to help the women with budgeting, consumer education, cooking, housekeeping, health/hygiene and employability skills. Volunteer “sister mentors” will also contribute.

The organization is leasing a home on seven private acres just outside the Kingsley village limits.

“This home is very well-suited to the purpose, and the Kingsley community has a big heart for youth,” Allen says. “Although there are some challenges not being within a city, the benefits of a rural setting and a new environment will help in the transformation process.”

Support is growing, as more groups hear about the home. After Allen spoke to the Traverse Bay British Car Club (TBBCC) about her mission, the group donated $1,800 – all of its proceeds from its December auction event.

Says Denny Lauterbach, car club member and co-owner of Floor Covering Brokers: “Cristy is a true hero in our community for the heartfelt work she’s doing, which follows many other contributions of her time and talent to help young women in need.” Lauterbach puts his money where his mouth is; Floor Covering Brokers just donated to My Sister’s House $1,600 worth of carpeting for $400.

Want to help? Allen is seeking individuals, businesses and churches to become monthly sponsors of the home. She’s also in need of home furnishings, towels, linens, etc. A complete list can be found at www.mysistershouseonline.org.